The San Francisco 49ers earned their very first victory at Levi's® Stadium on Friday night, defeating the Green Bay Packers 28-21 in preseason Week 1. Here's what both teams had to say following the exhibition game:
Niners Liners
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan on quarterback Trey Lance's performance:
"He seemed solid. The first play he didn't have one, made a good scramble. It was nice to come down with that third down play to Danny (Gray). So he did some good things. It was a good first game. I wish we kept him out there more, but we have to get him out... I'd love to play him the whole game if you're guaranteed not to get hurt. Because Trey, the more reps he can get, all it'll do is help... You just like stuff that's real football, that's not against our own defense that we can get together tomorrow and the next day and evaluate the tape and get better from what we did."
Shanahan on Samuel Womack III's interceptions:
"When you get two picks, that's a big deal. He did a good job covering the guy and making both of those plays… I wish we could have capitalized on offense after it. But you come up with those picks, that's a hell of a start."
49ers quarterback Trey Lance on his mindset for the first preseason game:
"Just trying to get better... Be efficient, move the ball, take care of the ball. Man, give those guys a chance. Offensive line did a great job, young guys did a great job and it's a lot more fun to win."
Lance on his touchdown to Gray:
"Yeah, I mean, throw it to the fast guy. Danny did a great job and he's done a great job all camp. Just him being healthy, obviously he's a difference maker for us on offense. His speed is something that I've had maybe one other time in my life. So, for me, he's a fun guy to have, a fun guy for the receiver room to have also, it just helps the route tree out. It makes defenses defend the ball and the whole field."
Lance on playing against another team:
"We've been looking forward to it obviously for a long time. But in training camp we try to take it one day at a time against our defense. There's good days and bad days but they make us better and I think that showed today."
Lance on what he thought of his performance:
"I'm excited to watch it. I got down, that was my first time sliding in my whole entire life. So that was good. I'm sure guys were happy, I would have liked to probably move the chains, maybe one more step but I'm excited to go back and watch the tape tonight and tomorrow and go through it with our coaches and our offense. But man, learned a lot, some good reps out there and super proud of just the young guys especially."
Lance on entering the preseason as the team's starting quarterback:
"It felt very different, the game slowed down for sure. I know it's obviously a preseason game, but some good, some bad, I'm excited to learn from it."
49ers quarterback Brock Purdy on playing in his first NFL game:
"Just being out there, I was like, 'I am in an NFL stadium wearing a 49ers logo and an NFL logo. This was everything I dreamed of.' In the first three quarters I was like, 'when am I going in?' Finally the fourth quarter rolled around and they told me I was ready to go in. It was awesome, it was surreal."
49ers cornerback Samuel Womack III on which of his two interceptions was his favorite:
"Both of them. I can't even really decide which one was better."
Womack III on his interception off of Packers wide receiver Amari Rodgers:
"That's a route that I cover probably every day in practice. That play was just like doing another practice play. I've just been getting better at that play and then it was gametime and I took advantage of it."
49ers wide receiver Danny Gray on his first touchdown in an NFL game:
"For one, I had a feeling that Trey (Lance) was going to throw it down the field to me. It was really just about beating my defender. That's when I saw the safety roll down on top of me. I knew what it was… With my speed and what I know I can do with my confidence, I feel like nobody could touch me."
Gray on his attention to the details:
"It's important for me because I'm a rookie, first of all. Just me being in this league is a blessing, so I try to do everything correct. I try to come out and I try to give 110% on every play. The details will come, but in the middle of a play you just want to win your rep. That's it. Be open. Don't put anything bad on film. So I try to be very detailed and I also just try to win. That's it."
49ers wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III on the atmosphere at Levi's® Stadium:
"Probably the feeling of what the stadium would be like. That was my first time ever playing or being inside that stadium. So for me, it was a different feeling and just seeing the energy that's in here is surreal. You've got to really be here to understand it and that's just a preseason game. I can't imagine when it's the playoffs or the season on the line and the NFC Championship."
McCloud III on what it was like seeing the Faithful in the crowd:
"There were a lot of people there for a preseason game. They were actually there for four quarters. Most people start leaving at halftime, but they were there for four quarters, celebrating and cheering. When you're a player on the field, that's a big factor when it's third down and four, and you've just got fans going for you and just giving you energy to make a play."
McCloud III on getting wide open for his touchdown:
"Opportunity and preparation, man. At practice, me, Trey, Nate (Sudfeld), Deebo (Samuel) and all the receivers practice that particular route, where to hit it, timing our depth, getting our depth and just being where we need to be at. In the game, it kind of was like a, 'Why is it so hard at practice and it's easier here?' feeling. I just caught his blind spot and took it back to the middle of the field, which we've been practicing with (WR coach Leonard) Hankerson. He's been on my butt about getting to a blind spot and going across."
Packers Quotes
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur on quarterback Jordan Love's performance:
"I thought there was a lot of good out there. I thought all three interceptions were pretty unfortunate... I thought by and large, just watching how the operation was, it was smooth. I thought he got us in and out of the huddle extremely crisp and with urgency. I thought he made some off-schedule plays. He showed some nice athleticism on a couple of those runs as well. So there were a lot of good things out there from Jordan, like the poise that he showed in the pocket. That's something that we were looking at and overall I thought the process of everything was a pretty good first step for him."
LaFleur on playing against the 49ers:
"This game was certainly big, going against a team that we have a lot of respect for. They put it on us pretty good last year and they're a talented roster. So it'll be a great test to see where we stand against a team like that. Like I said before, we've got a lot of respect for those guys."
Packers quarterback Jordan Love on how the game panned out:
"It could've been a better night for everybody. The ball just bounced a weird way. The 49ers capitalized on those plays. Obviously, no one wants that to happen and it sucks when it does."
Love on his third interception:
"Amari had a two-way go on the read. The 49ers played too high. It was one of those things. We weren't really expecting the 49ers to play that high. We got the wrong read on it. The ball was still behind him on the route he ran. It's something you don't want to happen and it's something to learn from."
